A Promise Made
by bjames238
Summary: Nora coming back to the past changes something else, something that relates to Caitlin especially. In Nora's future, Caitlin's happy with her soulmate and Nora's determined to help her get him back.
1. Prologue

Notes: I've kinda been wanting to do something like this for a while, and I've been rewatching a lot of the show lately for a different story and this is a result of a spark that came while watching 5.07. Still kind of working on some of the details, but I wanted to post at least the prologue to feel out if anyone would be interested in reading this or not. Oh, and the title for the story comes from the song "Heartbeats" from Jose Gonzalez.

Prologue:

"Hey mama . . ." Nora trailed off, watching her dad and his friend across the room from where she sat in the living room with her mother. "You said that Caitlin's husband died the day of the singularity. Her husband was Ronnie, right? Ronnie Raymond?"

"That's right." Iris nodded. "Together with Professor Stein they were Firestorm. They flew up into the singularity to stabilize it when Barry's speed wasn't enough. I'm really not sure why it wasn't in the Flash museum in your future. Ronnie sacrificed himself that day to save your dad and everyone. Your dad managed to save Professor Stein but we never found Ronnie's body."

"So you don't actually know that he's dead though?" Nora raised an eyebrow.

"Honey, it's been years. I'm sure if he was still alive he would've found a way to come back to his wife." Iris told her.

"But . . . what if he wanted to he just hasn't been able to?" Nora gulped.

"Nora, he's gone. Just like Professor Stein is now, and HR, and Snart." Iris turned to where her husband was still talking to Caitlin, thankful their friend was out of earshot.

"Right, I know. And like your mom, and dad's parents, and your fiance Eddie." Nora's head dropped.

"Exactly." Iris released a heavy breath. "So please can we just focus on the happy stuff for today? Your dad is so excited about our first family holiday together, and Caitlin's just getting back to her old self after losing her dad again and getting Frost back."

"I'm sorry, Mama, I just . . ." Nora sighed. Iris reached forward and took hold of her daughter's hands. "It's probably nothing, and I probably shouldn't say anything, but . . ."

Iris turned her head. "What is it?"

Nora frowned. "Well . . . growing up I wasn't around yours and dad's friends much. Mostly just Papa Joe and Mama Cecile and Jenna, and the occasional visit from Uncle Wally. You didn't keep them from me, they just had different lives. You didn't talk about them much, just every once and awhile. But you gave me a few pictures for my notebook when I asked about your friends."

"That's how you knew who they were when you came back." Iris nodded.

"Yeah. And . . . I don't have any pictures but you told me who they were all married to as well." She said.

"Nora . . ." Iris shook her head, letting go of her daughter's hands. "Remember that talk we had about telling us too much about the future?"

"I know, but Mama!" Nora huffed. "This is important, I promise."

"Just by telling us you could change the future, sweetie." Iris tried to reason with her.

"But you see, the way things are now it doesn't seem like it'll ever happen - like they'll never happen." Nora said.

"You're not making any sense. Maybe we should just stop talking about this." Iris said.

"But Mama, it's about Caitlin." Nora stood up. "She thinks he's dead! How can they get together if she doesn't even know he's alive?"

"Nora, _stop!" _Iris whispered, rising to her feet herself.

Nora crossed her arms. "I'm sorry, Mama but I won't. It doesn't feel right not to tell her."

"Everything okay, girls?"

Iris turned to find Barry and Caitlin walking toward them. Her eyes widened. "It's fine, everything's fine."

"I think she should know." Nora pleaded, looking to Caitlin.

Caitlin smirked. "Know what? Is there flour on my face or something?"

Iris just laughed out loud. "She's just being silly, right sweetie?"

"What should she know, Nora?" Barry looked back and forth between his wife and daughter.

"I . . ." Nora cleared her throat, her eyes dropping to the ground. "I know who you're married to in the future, Caitlin."

Caitlin's eyes widened. "Oh . . . hmm. Yeah that's . . . Nora, I'm not sure I should know something like that before it happens. Not that I'd ever planned to again..."

"That's what I told her." Iris sighed.

"They're right." Barry nodded.

"I know, but . . ." Nora huffed. "I mean technically you're already married to him now but he's just not here. But I think he could be soon." Caitlin paled, tensing up.

"Nora, that's enough!" Iris snapped.

"Why? Why would you say something like that?" Barry shook his head. Both he and Iris each took one of Caitlin's trembling arms. "She didn't mean it. Nora, tell Caitlin you didn't mean it."

"I . . ." Caitlin faltered.

"I can't, Daddy, because it's true." Nora said. "I'm sorry I upset you, Caitlin, but it's true. When I was still in high school, I asked Mama about hers and daddy's friends. She told me about you and Cisco and Ralph, including who you were all each married to with your families. And it's true - Mama told me you were married to Ronnie Raymond."

Caitlin swallowed, pulling away from Barry and Iris. Tears ran down her cheeks and she regarded Nora with a sad smile, one of her hands on the side of the younger girl's face. "Sweetie, I know you mean well. Yes, Ronnie and I were married for one blissful day but . . . but he's gone. Ronnie died, many years before now. You must have confused what your mom told you in the future. Whomever it is I married in your future, it couldn't be Ronnie. If I'm married to anyone at all."

Nora teared up as well. "No, it has to be. I remember what she said. I wrote it down in my notebook."

"Nora, that's enough now." Iris said.

"But I looked all of you up too, after she told me." Nora insisted. "There were lots of different scientific and medical study awards you were given, and most all the articles had your married name. I think I might even have a printed copy of one in my notebook. Hold on." She sped off, leaving the other three still standing.

"God, I am so sorry about this Caitlin." Barry ran his hands through his hair. "I don't know what's gotten into her."

"It's fine." Caitlin sniffled, letting out a breath.

"She was asking me questions about the singularity, and the next thing I knew she was insistent that you had to know." Iris put her hands on her hips. "She thinks because we didn't find him after, he could still be out there."

"I looked everywhere possible, I didn't find anything." Barry said.

"I know." Caitlin nodded. "It's okay. I'm sure she just got confused."

"Yeah, I'm sure whatever article she has will prove-"

"Aha! I got it!" Nora raced back to them, holding up two pieces of paper. She looked at them before grinning. "I knew it!"

"Nora, I don't think-" Barry started but Nora's squealing cut him off.

"I _knew _it! 'The brilliant Dr. Caitlin Snow-Raymond'! See! I even found one of the first ones from before I was born from later this year about something you make with Cisco, and it just says Snow. But the other one is a few years after that one." Nora said.

"Honey, it could just be a misprint." Iris told her. "You need to let this go, you're being horribly cruel."

"Mama - _you _wrote both articles. In all your years with the Citizen you _never _had a misprint or any kind of error." Nora said. "So . . . that must mean he comes back sometime in the next couple of years. But now that you know, maybe he comes back sooner. Like *this year* sooner."

Iris's mouth hung open. She looked to Barry, who shrugged.

"But how . . ." Caitlin's voice was small.

"See? He can't be dead, not if he's in my future." Nora grinned triumphantly. "Oh my god, we have to find him! What if . . . what if this is how he comes back?! Because I told you he was still alive and then we go find him!?" She squealed, jumping up and down. "Aww this is all so romantic!"

"Whoa, slow down." Barry gently grabbed her by the shoulders. "Nora, we don't even know anything about this. Where he is, or if he really is alive. We have to take this one step at a time."

"And just by telling us, you could be changing things already - for better, or worse." Iris reminded her.

"But if I hadn't have told you, you wouldn't know he's alive at all." Nora pointed out.

"Caitlin, what do you want to do? This is all really up to you." Barry said.

"I . . ." Caitlin stuttered, still crying. "I don't know, it doesn't seem real. If it is . . . if he really is alive . . . we have to find him."

Barry let out a deep breath, turning to Iris who nodded. "Okay . . . let's find Ronnie."

Nora squealed and jumped up and down again, barreling Caitlin with a big hug. "Ugh I love a good romantic reunion. Let's find Uncle Ronnie!"

Caitlin sniffled again, smiling and hugging Nora back.

"Alright, then I guess Thanksgiving is on hold while the team mounts a rescue." Iris joined in the hug with Nora and Caitlin.

_to be continued... _


	2. On the Same Page

A.N. Sorry for the delay. Just a short update this time, hope you enjoy. Probably be a while before another one.

* * *

The rest of the team was just as skeptical about the whole thing as Barry and Iris, especially Cisco since he'd helped Barry all those years ago try to find Ronnie after the singularity with no luck.

"Guys, this just all seems a little on the fishy side." Cisco crossed his arms. "Not to mention giving me a major case of deja vu. We've been down this road before - twice - and it just . . . it doesn't feel . . . right. Not this time. I'm sorry, Caitlin." Caitlin flinched, turning away and wrapping her arms around herself.

"C'mon Cisco, this is legit true love at work here!" Nora waved her arms around. "There is no right or wrong or logic."

"Baby, we all want Ronnie back too but we have to be realistic here." Iris told her.

Nora's face fell. "But what other explanation could there be for why he's there in my future?"

"Another Earth's doppelganger?" Sherloque suggested.

"No." Caitlin spoke up from the corner where she'd been quietly processing everything. None of it seemed real, even with the impossible things they saw every day. Ronnie was gone, and she'd made her peace with that a long time ago. Or, so she thought. "I couldn't . . . If it's not my Ronnie then I can't. I would never . . ."

"So that's out." Ralph shrugged, sticking his hands in his pants pockets.

"None of this makes any sense. One of the main reasons we thought he was gone was because of how unstable Stein became in the months after. Why else would he have needed a new Firestorm partner?" Barry reasoned.

"That is true, yeah." Cisco shrugged.

Nora sunk again, but then her eyes widened. "Maybe the singularity did something to him."

"But where do we even start looking?" Ralph scratched his head. "Gotta admit this seems like more of a science thing than a detective thing."

"Cisco!" Nora pointed at him. "Can't you vibe him?"

"I can't let you do that for me again." Caitlin shook her head, cutting him off before he could even speak. She shivered, remembering the sight of blood dripping from his nose as he collapsed. "You helped me find my dad and it nearly killed you."

"But you got the answers, right? Even if it didn't exactly…" Cisco trailed off. "Honestly, I wouldn't know where else to start either. But...you boxed up all of his stuff that was here right? And at your place?"

"Yeah . . . they're in my closet at home. I couldn't part with them, but, ah, couldn't stand to look at them either." She fidgeted with the skin on her ring finger, cursing that there wasn't a mark there from the brief time she'd worn a ring. She found herself wishing she'd kept it on longer after he-after he died.

"Couldn't you just touch Caitlin and find him?" Nora suggested.

"I mean . . . maybe? But it doesn't always work like that with just people. Usually it's an object or place." Cisco shrugged.

". . . what about these?" Caitlin reached in the collar of her sweater, pulling a chain out with two rings on it.

"Aww . . . after all this time you still have the rings he gave you." Nora squealed.

Caitlin blushed, reaching out her hand toward Cisco to pass the chain over to him. "I've never felt right being without them."

"What better item to find the man you love then the rings that represent the love you have for each other. Genius!" Sherloque nodded, grinning.

Cisco stared down at the rings still in Caitlin's hand, then up at her. He started to reach his hands toward her, but stopped. "You sure about this? I touch those and there's no going back."

"Cisco-"

"I really want you to be sure, Caitlin. Because I was here the last time you lost him, both times actually." He pulled his hands back away from her.

Tears welled in Caitlin's eyes, her own hands shaking as they went numb. She could barely feel the chain of the necklace, pushing the stones of the rings so they'd dig into her skin. Even that didn't give her much sensation and she stared down at her hand, expecting to see them iced over but there was no ice or smoke to be found.

"I just can't stand to see my best friend in so much pain again." Cisco shook his head.

_He's right - this could be a dead end. Some kind of mistake. Baby Flash could have the wrong information. Or future Iris just doesn't have a clue, I dunno. Something. C'mon Caity, you're usually the smart one. The rational one. This can't possibly be real!_

Caitlin ignored Frost's voice within her. She knew her other half was just trying to protect her, but she couldn't go down that road right now. She needed to hold on to the last shred of hope that she had that this was real, that Nora was right, and that Ronnie would be returning to her soon. That the future they'd promised each other years ago could be right within their grasp once again.

She released the heavy breath she'd been holding, fresh tears welling in her eyes. "I'm sure. If he is alive….I-I need to find him."

"Okay." Cisco nodded.

She let go of the rings, allowing them to fall through her fingers and land into Cisco's. As he touched her shoulder with his other hand and his eyes closed, Caitlin held her breath.

_Caity, you need to breathe - we share a body and I'd really rather not die because you forgot to breathe!_

She turned away from Cisco and the others, barely feeling his hand still around her arm. Her eyes shut tight as flashes of images were projected before her.

It was her history with Ronnie - the day they met, the day he asked her out. The first time he made her laugh. The first time he kissed her, made love to her, professed his love for her. When he moved in with her in her apartment. The weekend they spent at Piedmont State Park, Ronnie proposing to her under the clear night sky as they danced in the moonlight. Bickering about where to go on their honeymoon. Their last conversation in the pipeline. Attending his funeral, meeting his parents for the first time as they had to bury an empty coffin and say goodbye. Finding him again as Firestorm, but learning that Martin Stein was in control. Getting Ronnie back again, only for him to have to leave. The day they finally got to have their wedding before he went up into the singularity and she lost him forever . . .

Caitlin exhaled sharply, her hand grasping at her chest. Tears she didn't even know she was shedding dripped down to land on her fingers. A sob ripped through her, right down to her soul. Her knees buckled, her legs threatening to give out beneath her but she a pair of hands gripped to her shoulders and held her up.

The scent of oregano, garlic, and tomato sauce filled her senses, along with the sharp tang of body spray-

Ronnie….

He was there, right in front of her. He was real. His warm, blue eyes stared into hers and her entirely body relaxed. He rubbed her shoulders up and down, brows crinkling in concern. "You're freezing, Cait. Your teeth are chattering."

"You're here . . ." She couldn't do anything but stare at him.

Ronnie frowned, shaking his head. "Not yet. But soon. I know you'll find me soon, Cait. I love you. I love you so much, I-"

"C-Caitlin!"

The voice cut through her like a bucket of cold water being dumped over her head. She jolted, eyes opening to find Cisco staring over her where she lay down. She was alarmed to find they were no longer in the cortex, but in her med bay. "W-what . . ." She started to lift her head but had to close her eyes to stop everything from spinning as her skull pounded. After a few moments, she was able open them again but didn't dare to move.

"You just collapsed." Cisco swallowed, eyes wide. "We were in the vibe, but you went somewhere I couldn't reach you. I didn't think I was going to get you out."

"He was there. Ronnie was there, right in front of me." Her voice was thick with tears. "It's real, he's alive. I don't know how, but I have to find him." She tried to get up again, this time very slowly.

"Whoa, slow down." Iris cautioned, and Caitlin hadn't even registered anyone else in the room until Iris spoke up from where she stood on the opposite side of the bed as Cisco. Barry was next to Iris, and Nora was beside Cisco. Everyone else was gone. "Maybe we should take you to the hospital . . ."

Caitlin locked on Nora, her hand jerking forward to grab the surprised young speedster's wrist. "Nora, it's true. He's alive, he's coming back to me - we just have to find him. It's really true!"

Nora yelped when ice started to frost over Caitlin's hand, pulling her arm back. Where the ice had touched her, a frostbite burn was already starting to slowly heal. Barry and Iris were at their daughter's side in a moment, examining the wound.

"Whoa, hey, let's just calm down-" Cisco let go of her shoulder, holding his hands out. "Caitlin, your emotions are seriously fraking with your powers. Why don't you let Frost come out to the surface, calm down a bit?"

"What!? No, we have to find Ronnie! He's waiting for me!" Caitlin shook her head furiously.

"And we will, buddy. I swear. But we can't help you if you freeze us all to death. You were unconscious for a few hours, but whatever happened in that vibe still has you off balance. Seriously, I think you need some sleep." Cisco gently pushed her shoulder down so she'd lay back down even as she still fought against him.

"But-" Caitlin gasped, what little strength she had left draining rapidly as Frost pulled her under, taking control of the body. Cisco backed away from the cold smoke that hovered over her.

"_No! Let me out! I have to find him!"_

"Sorry, Caity. It's what's best for both of us right now." Frost let out an icy sigh, shaking out her stiff limbs as she swung her legs over the med bed and rose to her feet. Caitlin kicked and screamed from within her mental cage. Frost winced, shivering, trying to block out her alter ego's pained cries. The others relaxed, though still watched her cautiously. "Don't worry guys, for once I agree with you. Stubborn Caity needs a timeout. She's locked up nice and tight, for the moment."

"Your healing's working?" Barry observed.

"You don't seem as sluggish as Caitlin was when she woke up." Iris said.

Frost shifted on the balls of her feet, shrugging. She could feel the aches and the mind-numbing headache but they weren't as unbearable as they had been when Caitlin had been on the surface. "Just a few kinks. Look, I'm all for reuniting Caity with her fire-boy but just so we're clear, she's my only priority. If we can find or save him, fine. Whatever. But if she loses so much as one brunette strand or ruins one of her insufferable outfits, it's over. Mission aborted. Caity takes priority. That vibe was dangerous enough - and we don't even know why she almost got sucked in."

"Caitlin's my best friend, I would never do anything that would put her in danger." Cisco's tone was short. Barry, Iris, and Nora all nodded.

"Good, we're still on the same page. Make sure it stays that way. And no more vibes. You'll have to find fire-boy some other way." Frost pursed her cold, blue lips.

"Relax, Elsa." Cisco waved her off, rolling his eyes. Frost glared back. "I don't need to vibe again - I already know where Ronnie is. And how to get him back."

_to be continued . . ._


End file.
